Of what does politics consist except the making of imperfect decisions, many of them unjust and quite a few of them deadly?
Lewis H. LaphamRead
Under the rules of a society that cannot distinguish between profit and profiteering, between money defined as necessity and money defined as luxury, murder is occasionally obligatory and always permissible.
Interpretation
Society's confusion between necessity and greed can lead to ethical compromises and violence.
This quote by Lewis H. Lapham suggests that when a society fails to recognize the difference between essential needs and excessive desires, it can create moral ambiguities where extreme actions, such as violence, become justified. The juxtaposition of profit versus profiteering reflects the ethical dilemmas individuals face in a consumerist culture, indicating that moral clarity is often lost in the pursuit of wealth.
In practice
In a debate about corporate responsibility, one might use this quote to highlight the moral responsibilities of businesses.
Of what does politics consist except the making of imperfect decisions, many of them unjust and quite a few of them deadly?
A society that presumes a norm of violence and celebrates aggression, whether in the subway, on the football field, or in the conduct of its business, cannot help making celebrities of the people who would destroy it.
Dirt's a funny thing,' the Boss said. 'Come to think of it, there ain't a thing but dirt on this green God's globe except what's under water, and that's dirt too. It's dirt makes the grass grow. A diamond ain't a thing in the world but a piece of dirt that got awful hot. And God-a-Mighty picked up a handful of dirt and blew on it and made you and me and George Washington and mankind blessed in faculty and apprehension. It all depends on what you do with the dirt. That right?
Philosophers' Syndrome: mistaking a failure of the imagination for an insight into necessity.
From my first published paper in 1946, my obsession has been to objectify inner experiences, to demystify the software of human existence. How? By relating changes in external behavior, systematically and lawfully, to changes in the brain.
When I sleep I turn into a wolf. Bran turned his face away and looked back out into the night. Do wolves dreams?
According to my definition of God, I'm not an atheist. Because I think God is everything. Whenever I open my eyes, I'm looking at God. Whenever I'm listening to something, I'm listening to God.
America is an unsolvable problem: a nation divided and deeply in hate with itself. If it was a startup, we'd understand how unfixable the situation is; most of us would leave for a fresh start, and the company would fall apart. America is MySpace.
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